Tag: lead vocalist

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The Last Show of “The Lamb” Tour – and Peter Gabriel’s Final Genesis Gig

On May 22, 1975, Genesis played the final show of their ambitious The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour. It would also mark the last time Peter Gabriel performed with the band as lead vocalist.

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway: A Bold New Chapter

In 1974, Genesis entered the studio to record their most ambitious project yet: The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. The double concept album told a surreal and complex story by Peter Gabriel, following a Puerto Rican teenager named Rael as he journeys through a strange underworld beneath New York City.

The urban American setting was a dramatic shift from the band’s earlier tales rooted in British folklore and fantasy. After touring North America, Genesis were aiming to break into the U.S. market. The Lamb was also their first true concept album (after an unsuccessful attempt on their debut), a hallmark of many progressive rock bands at the time.

Internally, however, tensions were mounting. Gabriel wrote all the lyrics and developed the story independently, while Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Phil Collins composed most of the music during jam sessions at Headley Grange. Steve Hackett’s contributions were minimal, and the creative disconnect between words and music created friction. Only one track, “The Light Dies Down on Broadway”, had lyrics penned by Banks and Rutherford instead of Gabriel.

Behind-the-Scenes Tensions

Two key factors contributed to Gabriel’s growing estrangement from the band. First, he had attracted interest from The Exorcist director William Friedkin, who was keen to collaborate on a film. Gabriel was tempted, even considering leaving the band, but the project never materialized.

Second, Gabriel’s wife Jill gave birth to their first daughter, Anna, in July 1974. Complications following the birth drew Gabriel further away from the group. He was the first member to start a family, and this life change made him reassess his priorities and see a future beyond the band. His inner conflict bled into The Lamb‘s narrative, for example in the song “In the Cage,” where Rael cries, “Get me out of this cage!”

Upon release, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway received mixed reviews and was commercially underwhelming. Ticket sales for the tour were below expectations, and several shows were cancelled. Though the album is now revered as a cult classic, its reception at the time was disappointing, particularly for Gabriel, who had poured his heart into the concept.

A Tour Like No Other

The band made the bold decision to perform the album in full on tour, even before many fans had a chance to hear it. Gabriel, already known for his theatrical costumes, pushed the visual spectacle even further, but it came at a cost. His elaborate outfits, including the infamous “Slipperman” costume, sometimes muffled his vocals or distracted from the music itself. The rest of the band grew frustrated, feeling the show had become more about theatrics than sound.

Technical problems were frequent. The stage used projected slides to accompany the story, but they often jammed or displayed out of sequence. In one infamous incident, a Peter Gabriel dummy meant to mirror him on stage was mysteriously swapped for a naked roadie. And during a song that required a small explosion, the production manager accidentally triggered a huge blast so loud that the band stopped mid-song. Peeking through the curtain, the crew member sheepishly said, “Sorry,” to which Phil Collins yelled, “You’re fired!”

Gabriel’s Departure

Midway through the tour, Gabriel made the decision to leave Genesis. Their manager Tony Smith was not surprised, but asked him to finish the remaining dates before making it public.

Gabriel’s final show with Genesis took place in Saint-Étienne, France, in May 1975. Ironically, it wasn’t meant to be the last show, but the scheduled final concert was canceled at the last minute. And so, without much fanfare, Peter Gabriel’s time with Genesis came to an end.

He had co-founded the band in 1967 alongside Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, and Anthony Phillips. His departure, announced later that year, shocked fans and cast doubt over the band’s future. Could Genesis survive without their charismatic frontman?

As history would show — they could. And so could he.

Photo: Peter Gabriel in 1975. Photographer unknown. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: Peter_Gabriel,_April_1975.jpg. Unknown author / CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0).

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Ray Wilson announced as new lead vocalist

On 6 June 1997, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford of Genesis announce the band’s new lead singer after Phil Collins’ departure: 28 year old Ray Wilson.

When it was announced in March of 1996 that Phil Collins would leave Genesis after 25 years, the public was impatient to know who would become the next lead singer of the band. Genesis had survived the loss of their first singer Peter Gabriel in 1975. And when Phil Collins left the band in 1996, the two remaining members Tony Banks (keyboards) and Mike Rutherford (guitars) decided to survive a singer’s loss once more. The two founding members of Genesis started to write and record new songs and tried to find a new singer. Music media suggested several vocalists, until on June 6th 1997, the band announced that Ray Wilson would be their new lead singer.

Ray Wilson

Ray was born in Dumfries, Scotland, on 8 September 1968. He had previously been in a band called Guaranteed Pure and was frontman for the band Stiltskin. Their biggest hit was the song ‘Inside’, used in a Levi’s commercial in 1994. The song had reached no. 1 of the charts. Ray was not an unknown singer when he joined Genesis, but theirs and Stiltskin’s music was worlds apart. His fans and Genesis fans were both surprised and suspicious.

Ray remembers on the Songbook DVD: ‘I was in my little studio writing songs. It was ten in the morning, I was making a coffee, and Tony Smith, the manager of Genesis, was on the phone: ‘Would you like to come and audition to replace Phil Collins?”

In the years before, Phil Collins’ solo success had created an image of ‘Phil Collins and Genesis’, as if Genesis was the band behind him. Filling out this role and changing this public image, would be very difficult.

Calling All Stations

Ray, Mike and Tony went into the band’s studio ‘The Farm’ in Surrey and recorded the new album Calling All Stations*. Most of the songs were already written by Tony and Mike, but Ray was able to add some of his ideas. The album was very dark and melancholic. Phil Collins’ influence on Genesis music, his energy and cheerfulness combined with Mike’s and Tony’s music, was missing. The Genesis chemistry only worked fully when all three of them worked and wrote together.

Ray’s expressive voice worked with the melodramatic music. He did a remarkable job on the album and the following tour. His voice and style was a bit closer to Peter Gabriel’s, but the music on Calling All Stations seemed to be closer to its predecessor We Can’t Dance*. Like We Can’t Dance, Calling All Stations was produced by Nick Davis.

Three singles were released from the sombre, dark record: ‘Congo’, ‘Shipwrecked’ and ‘Not About Us’. Ray co-wrote the last song as well as the songs ‘Small Talk’ and ‘There Must Be Some Other Way’. The drums on the album were played by Israeli session drummer Nir Zidkyahu and Nick D’Virgilio from American prog band Spock’s Beard.

The critics were not too kind. NMW wrote that ‘the world doesn’t care enough about Genesis to make the effort’ to buy the album and ‘like the rest of the population, they’ve forgotten why they were once any good.’ Q wrote that the album consists of ‘just darkness, confusion, individual isolation’ and described it as ‘one-paced and one-dimensional.’

Live on tour 1998

On tour, Ray proved that he could sing songs from all the eras. The setlist covered hits like ‘Invisible Touch’, ‘No Son Of Mine’ or ‘Follow You Follow Me’ (in a lovely acoustic version), younger epics like ‘Home By The Sea’ and Gabriel-era songs like ‘Carpet Crawlers’ and ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’. The new material worked well between these songs and some tracks, like the title track, were even better live. Ray, Mike and Tony were accompanied by drummer Nir Zidkyahu and guitarist Anthony Drennan, who filled the roles of Chester Thompson and Daryl Stuermer.

The album was not as successful as the ones before

But unfortunately the album was not a big commercial success when compared to the albums before. It reached no. 2 in British charts, but only no. 54 in America. Also, ticket sales were not as high was they used to be and the tour had to be minimized in terms of production and venues. The American leg of the tour had to be cancelled completely. So after the 1998 tour, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford decided to put Genesis to rest.

It was not to be the end of Genesis. But back in 1998 it looked like it. Unfortunately, Ray Wilson, who had been thrown into this situation, was even made responsible by some fans and critics. This is simply not fair. Ray has a unique voice and delivered the songs – his own and Peter’s and Phil’s – in a special way.

After the end of Genesis, Ray took some time to recover and has since started a solo career. He releases solo albums and still plays some Genesis and Genesis-related songs during his live shows.

Title photo: Ray Wilson live in Dortmund in 2017 (Photo: André Wilms of ‘The Photography Of Mister Ilms)‘.

Listen to live versions from the 1998 tour with Ray on “Genesis – BBC Broadcasts” – Get it here!*

Genesis Music on Amazon*

*= Affiliate Link

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Phil Collins’ First Show as Genesis Frontman

In 1975, Peter Gabriel left Genesis, leaving the band without a lead singer. After auditioning several vocalists without success, drummer Phil Collins reluctantly stepped up to take on the role. He sang on A Trick of the Tail (1976), the band’s first album after Gabriel’s departure. But while he handled the studio vocals, he wasn’t eager to become the band’s frontman on tour.

This is the story of how Phil Collins took center stage.

Phil Collins Didn’t Want to Be the Singer

A Trick of the Tail proved that Genesis could continue without Peter Gabriel. The album was a success, and Phil’s vocals shone on both the heavier tracks like Dance on a Volcano and the softer moments of Ripples.

Yet, despite his strong performance, Phil had no desire to be the band’s singer. He saw himself first and foremost as a drummer.

‘I’ve always felt the singer was the cheapest gig in the band, ’cause all they had to do was look good and wiggle their bum,’ he later admitted. ‘I always wanted the most respectable part in the group, which was of course the drummer.’1

When it came time to tour the album, Phil hesitated. He agreed to take on the lead vocals under one condition: he needed a drummer he could trust. That drummer was his friend Bill Bruford of Yes, who joined Genesis for the tour.

On March 26, 1976, Genesis played their first show with Phil Collins as frontman in London, Ontario.

Could He Replace Peter Gabriel?

Fans knew from the album that Phil could sing, but how would he handle the older material? Fortunately, his voice was naturally similar to Peter Gabriel’s, and he had already sung backing vocals on many classic Genesis tracks. His performances of songs like The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Firth of Fifth, and Supper’s Ready proved he was up to the challenge.

The new material was also well received. On Robbery, Assault & Battery, Phil brought the song’s Victorian-era story to life with his acting skills, while the instrumental Los Endos became even more powerful live, thanks to the addition of a second drummer.

Bringing in Bill Bruford was the right move. As a respected figure in progressive rock, his presence reassured fans. His intricate playing added a new dimension to Genesis’ music. While Bruford and Collins played off each other in a more unpredictable way, later drummer Chester Thompson would lock in with Phil to create the band’s signature double-drumming style.

A Warm Welcome for the ‘New’ Singer

Genesis fans wanted this lineup to succeed – and they embraced Phil’s new role. He brought a down-to-earth charm and a touch of Monty Python-style humor to the stage. The band seemed more relaxed, with the spotlight no longer focused solely on the singer.

During I Know What I Like, Phil got the other members involved, playfully placing hats on their heads and sharing a mic with Mike Rutherford. He even debuted his now-famous tambourine dance.

Where Peter Gabriel had been the mysterious storyteller, Phil Collins was the approachable everyman. He didn’t weave surreal tales; he spoke to the audience directly. Even Peter himself later said he was happy that Phil took over, recognizing that Phil was a stronger technical singer and had a natural connection with audiences.

Phil was nervous that first night in London, Ontario, but the show was a success. Genesis continued with him as their frontman for the next two decades – except for a brief period in the ’90s when Ray Wilson took over after Phil’s departure.

But that’s another story.

Title photo: Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins of Genesis in 1977. Source: Wikimedia Commons, Jean-Luc Ourlin from Toronto ontario, Canada / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)

  1. Genesis – A History ↩︎